Wes Brown is a PASS chapter leader and SQL Server MVP. He writes for SQL Server Central and maintains his blog at http://www.sqlserverio.com. Wes is Currently serving as a Senior Lead Consultant at Catapult Systems. Previous experiences include Product Manager for SQL Litespeed by Quest software and consultant to fortune 500 companies. He specializes in high availability, disaster recovery and very large database performance tuning. He is a frequent speaker at local user groups and SQLSaturdays.

So, No SQL Saturday in Austin This Year.

I know a lot of folks were disappointed that we (POSSE) weren’t able to pull together in time for a SQL Saturday in Austin this year. We are shooting for a spring date and I’ll be posting more about that in the next couple of weeks.

SQL In The City To The Rescue!

Red Gate Software, a sponsor last year for Austin’s SQL Saturday, are doing something different. They have done a few of these events in the UK but they are taking it on the road! They have six events planned for us here in the states. We are one of the first stops in the tour. On October 1st they will be taking over the AT&T Executive Education Conference Center in down town Austin, TX. This is a first class facility.

So, Whats The Catch?

Pretty much the same catch as any other free training event. The exception to the model is there is only one vendor footing the bill. You still get some of the best training at any price and get to meet the Red Gate people that make some of the best tools for our platform. This isn’t a fluff marketing event. Red Gate has constantly and consistantly supported the community over the years. Between Simple Talk and SQLServerCentral.com and employing some of the smartest guys in our industry like Steve Jones and Grant Fritchey. To put it mildly, they have supported the community that supports them.

Great! So Tell Me More…

Besides myself, Steve and Grant they have invited a host of other smart speakers. Tim Radney is a chapter leader and PASS Regional Mentor and has been hitting the SQLSaturday circuit and is highly rated. Jim Murphy, someone who has become a good friend and fellow chapter leader in Austin running the CACTUSS Central group is a veteran with SQL Server and is also an excellent speaker. And my other friend and MVP Aaron Nelson will be on hand. We also have a .net veteran Rob Richardson joining our motley band. That’s on top of Red Gate insiders who build these ingeniously simple tools.